Time to Say Good-bye...

It is with some sadness and nostalgia that we farewell our very first Cereal Readers website design. However, as we quickly approach our third anniversary, we’re looking forward to embracing a fresh new look and the realisation of many effective new search features.

'Appealing images are vital for engaging young readers'

As part of the clean and updated look, our primary focus was to improve the quality of the book cover images.  Appealing images are vital for engaging young readers and we're thrilled that images now display with enhanced size and clarity.

The long list of features we wanted to offer had to be distilled to those we thought would be most valuable. Expanding the variety of ‘search lenses’ (as we like to call them) will hopefully provide useful portals to the series we have available. In particular, we’re really pleased to make available the ‘multi-genre tag + age range’ search for discovering new series.

Apart from the multi-genre tag search, my favourite new feature is the ability to see at-a-glance which series have introductory book trailer videos - a wonderful tool for quickly enticing readers of all ages.

Video icon indicates introductory series book trailer.

Multi-Genre + Optional Age Search

Key features offered in Cereal Readers version 2.0:

• Higher quality images and image enlargement feature;
• Improved search results;
• Multi-genre tag search, with optional age range filter;
• Video icon to indicate series containing book trailers to quickly engage readers;
• Summary of all series that have won awards;
• A previous/next feature for moving between sequential books in a series.
• A new ‘Explore’ menu option that provides a launching point for the many ways to search series on Cereal Readers.

Overall, we believe these and other changes have made the site clearer and easier to use. We hope you’ll take a few minutes to acquaint yourself with the recent changes.

Farewell to the inaugural Cereal Readers site design

There are still many features we would love to bring you, but we had to walk the line between dreams and delivery, so…next time. As a large number of our visitors access the site via mobile phone, a mobile-friendly version of the site is high on our list for the second half of 2015 - we'd really hoped to deliver it with this release, but time ran short.

As is often said in the technology business, ‘the perfect is the enemy of the possible.’ We’ve bought you the possible for now. Hope you enjoy it!

Marielle

I and Love and You - Colleen Hoover's 'Slammed' Series

Colleen Hoover blends music and poetry, humour and heartache, in her beguiling and romantic 'Slammed' series. It's the story of Layken and Will, mature beyond their years due to the challenges they've separately faced, but optimistic when they meet that life is finally giving them a break and a much-needed fresh start.

Anxious not to mar their first date with talk of his tragic past, Will instead introduces his new neighbour, Layken, to the 'Would You Rather?' game - a game typical of the quirky humour Hoover ascribes to her characters:

"...would you rather spend the rest of your life with no arms, or would you rather spend the rest of your life with arms you couldn't control?"

"...Well..." I hesitate. "I guess I would rather spend the rest of my life with arms I couldn't control?"

"What? Seriously? But you wouldn't be controlling them!" he says, flapping his arms around in the car. "They could be flailing around and you'd be constantly punching yourself in the face! Or worse, you might grab a knife and stab yourself!"

That same night, Will also introduces Layken to slam poetry, a form of competition poetry where participants read or recite their work, often as a performance of self-expression. Throughout the series, Hoover uses her original, moving and witty slam poetry to help define key characters, and convey strong emotions and pivotal moments.

'...I used to love the ocean,
Everything about her.
The way she would sing me to sleep
as I lay in my bed
then wake me with a force
That I soon came to dread.
Her fables, her lies, her misleading eyes...'

Layken and Will's shared appreciation for slam poetry strengthens their initial connection, but elation is short lived as circumstances conspire to keep them apart and family responsibilities weigh heavily. As the two struggle with their obligations and feelings, slam poetry provides a much-needed outlet. It's an expressive form that marries extraordinarily well with the wide-ranging gamut of teen sentiment and experience.

In addition to her immensely appealing main characters, Hoover gives her story considerable depth and humour with strong secondary characters in the younger brothers, Kel and Caulder, off-beat friends Eddie and Gavin, and Layken's conflicted mother, Julia.

I thoroughly enjoyed Slammed and found it a butterflyingly good read. (You'll need to read the second book in the series, Point of Retreat, for that reference!) I also enjoyed the introduction to slam poetry and her beloved Avett Brothers, who now owe to Colleen Hoover a new legion of fans, myself included.

'But I can tell by watching you
That there's no chance of pushing through
The odds are so against us
You know most young love, it ends like this.'
                 [The Avett Brothers, I Would Be Sad]

Happy Valentine's Day from Cereal Readers,
Marielle Rebbechi

Give a Child a Book - and Give Them the World!

“Books make great gifts because they have whole worlds inside them, and it’s much cheaper to buy somebody a book than it is to buy them the whole world.”– Neil Gaiman

In my role as a book-seller, I frequently meet parents and grandparents wishing to impart their own love of reading to the children in their lives. This is a wonderful and admirable thing – what better gift to give a child than a whole world at their fingertips? Any reader will tell you that books – especially those we read at pivotal moments in our development – have the power to shape our lives. In a child’s limited experience of the world, books provide opportunities for travel, adventure, love, friendship, knowledge, wisdom and infinitely more. Neil Gaiman’s message rings true: books will broaden a child’s horizons further than any other gift under $20 possibly could. While I could extol the virtues of reading for hours, you probably already agree with me there. What I should note is that while books make great gifts, a carefully selected book series is even better.

To introduce a young reader to a series of books is to offer them a universe all of their own, to which they may retreat for solitude and reflection, to meet with old friends, seek new adventures and vanquish enemies of the past. A favourite series bestows a reassuring sense of familiarity and continuity each time it is visited – a rare thing in a too often turbulent world. So, to help you find the perfect book series for the young reader in your life, we have compiled a list of the best current children’s and young adult series for this holiday season:

Kids aged 5-7 years 

The Andy G Picture Books series: Will appeal especially to boys (and some girls) aged 5+ who have a quirky sense of humour & whose reading skills are still emerging. Colour pictures by Terry Denton.

The Lulu Bell series: Perfect for kids, particularly girls, aged 6+ who love animals & are ready for an engaging first chapter book series with funny characters & cute illustrations.

The Cryptic Casebook of Coco Carlomagno & Alberta series: Crime-fighting guinea pigs, mind-bending puzzles and hilarious illustrations – what more can we say? Suits boys & girls aged 6+.

The Don't Look Now series: Innovative & hilarious new series which relies on both text & cartoons to convey the story, making it perfect for kids aged 7+ or slightly older reluctant readers.

Kids aged 8-10 years

The Treehouse series: Children aged 8+ are going bananas for this very funny & fantastical series by Andy Griffiths & Terry Denton – an excellent series for sparking the imagination of young readers.

The Lonely Planet Not-For-Parents series: A unique range of non-fiction titles exploring the culture & history of countries across the world. Features bold colours & engaging content for readers 8+.

The All the Wrong Questions series: Quirky, mysterious & darkly funny, these books will appeal to fans of A Series of Unfortunate Events. Best suited to mature-minded readers aged 9+.

The Ruby Redfort series: Genius code-cracker & daring detective, Ruby Redfort, scores a spin-off series from the Clarice Bean books. Hilarious & exciting adventures for girls & boys aged 10+.

Kids aged 11-13 years

The City of Orphans series: Readers aged 11+ who enjoy fantasy and are not easily scared will love this series set in Dickensian London which features a host of fiendish monsters. Classic Good V Evil.

The Girl V the World series: An enjoyable series of short realistic fiction especially written for reluctant female readers aged 12+. Sensitively deals with first love, bullying, social pressures, etc.

The Tribe series: 2013 might well be considered the year of dystopian YA, but this is fresh dystopian drama with an ecological twist. Thrilling, intelligent & engrossing books for readers aged 12+.

The Every series: The first in a planned series, Every Breath by a debut Australian author is a force to be reckoned with. Age-appropriate murder-mystery meets unconventional romance for readers 13+.

Kids aged 14+

The BZRK series: Dystopian sci-fi from a master of the genre, this series offers a dark & fascinating vision of the future. Great for teens interested in technology & science, especially boys 14+.

The Twinmaker series: More dystopian sci-fi because, well, teens love it! This is another thriller with a focus on out-of-control technology. Butt-kicking female protagonist will appeal to guys or girls 14+.

The Smitten series: A light-hearted series of realistic fiction written for girls with no interest in fantasy or the paranormal. Themes of romance & friendship abound – perfect for girly-girls 14+.

The Selection series: A curious mix of futuristic melodrama and traditional fairy tale. Aimed at girls 14+, this series will appeal to young adults who like their romance with just a little twist of fantasy.

And that’s the list! I hope you've found something to share with the young reader you’re buying for these holidays but if you’d like some more ideas, don’t hesitate to ask your local book-seller for advice...it makes our day! There is no better gift than a thoughtfully selected book because, in the words of Garrison Keillor, “a book is a gift you can open again and again.” On behalf of the Cereal Readers team, we wish you a merry Christmas – and a year ahead filled with many, many hours of happy reading.

Kara Smith